FIRST FIVE-STAR WIN IN FLORIDA
What better way to celebrate International Womens Day than with your first five-star Grand Prix win? That’s exactly what Emilie Conter (24) did last night at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington where the all-Belgian team of rising star Conter and Portobella van de Fruitkorf won the the $500,000 FEI 5* Bainbridge Companies Grand Prix.
The landmark win came just a week after Emilie and sister Zoe produced clear second rounds in the recent Wellington Nations Cup to seal Belgium’s third place. HippoLink.
Last week, it was Trixie Z that provided Emilie’s Nations Cup horsepower and last night, it was the turn of the 10-year-old Nabab de Reve mare Portobella van de Fruitkorf that came home clear (42.43).
It was both a Grand Prix startlist and results scoreboard studded with Olympic riders, as Harry Charles (43.33) and Henrik von Eckermann (43.88) finished second and third respectively with Sherlock and yes, he’s back: King Edward.
A clean sweep too for Belgian breeding Hippolink: Belgian Horse Hub with the top-three horses all BWP-breds.
Emilie is the youngest daughter of Stephex Stables founder, Stephan Conter and has won a range of European medals at Children on Horses, juniors and young rider level.
Pre-Bainbridge Companies Grand Prix prizemoney, Emilie ranks 15th amongst Belgian riders on the Hippomundo rankings and has competed on both American coasts this winter, at Thermal and now, Wellington, plus Monterey in Mexico.
Portobella van de Fruitkopf, originally produced by Stijn Swinnen was in action at all three North American fixtures. Campaigned by Emilie since a seven-year-old, Portobella van de Fruitkopf won a 1.40m class at Ocala last year, then finished fourth in the Florida Coast Equipment Grand Prix at Wellington and the pair were also on the fourth-placed Belgian team in the Dublin Nations Cup.
